Edible dispersions with a plastic rheology usually have a high fat content. Often the fat is present as a continuous fat phase. Well-known edible, plastic dispersions are, for example, butter and margarine.
Many attempts have been made to find a replacement for fat in edible products. One reason why such a fat replacer is desirable is the wish to reduce the caloric content of the food product and other dietetic considerations while at the same time lower production cost, in particular by reducing raw material cost. If both goals are achieved a resulting product must still have consumer acceptable flavor, mouthfeel and long shelf life.
A substance that has been widely applied as a fat extender is water. This use of water has, for example, led to the introduction of the so-called halvarines: a substitute for butter and margarine containing only about 40% instead of the usual 80-85% fat. However, as with air, for example, water can also be employed only to a limited extent before adverse effects on the product properties are observed. To overcome this disadvantage it has been suggested that water should be used in combination with thickening agents, and in particular with gelling agents. This approach has led to substantial improvements of such products with substantially reduced fat content.
The structuring of the aqueous phase of food products such as spreads or dressings has been generally accomplished in the prior art by using biopolymers such as proteins and carbohydrates to structure the phase. Polymeric molecules cross-link to form a tangled, interconnected molecular network in water. In these systems, the presence of junction zones or entanglements leads to gel formation and the enclosure of water. Examples of such polymeric substances are hydrolyzed gelling starch and gelatin, as described in Cain et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,193 (corresponding to EP 296,561 ).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,196 discloses edible plastic dispersions comprising at least two gelling agents (A and B) forming at least two gelled phases. The examples of the '196 patent disclose the preparation of such products by cooling a mixture of the gelling agents in water under quiescent conditions. Although not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that this method of preparation leads to the formation of two gelled phases, one being present as a continuous phase, the other being present as a non-continuous phase dispersed in the continuous phase. Generally the continuous phase will predominantly contain one of the gelling agents (A), possibly in combination with a small amount of the other gelling agent(s) (B). This continuous phase will thus be referred to as the "A-phase." The non-continuous phase will predominantly contain the other gelling agent (B), possibly in combination with a small amount of the other gelling agent(s) (A). This non-continuous phase will therefore be referred to as the "B-phase." For example, example 7 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,196 discloses a product with gelatin and hydrolyzed starch as the two gelling agents. At the levels and under the methodology given in example 7, it is believed that there will be formed a continuous hydrolyzed starch phase (which may possibly contain small amounts of gelatin) and a dispersed gelatin phase (which may possibly contain small amounts of hydrolyzed starch).
U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,234 discloses the preparation of water-in-oil emulsions containing 1-10 wt. % of thickening agents. Products obtained according to this process do not appear to contain two distinct aqueous phases.
EP 387,940 relates to fat continuous spreads containing 23 to 28 wt. % of a continuous fat phase.
EP 398,411 relates to fat continuous spreads containing gelatin as the predominant gelling agent.
Applicants have thus surprisingly discovered a process to provide a water continuous dispersion product in which the phase in excess is the dispersed phase (i.e., B-phase) and not the continuous phase (A-phase). The advantage of such products is that the amount of the continuous phase containing, for example, a starch material can be reduced without negatively effecting the product's texture and mouthfeel. Additionally, since the starch component is expensive and carries its own off flavors it is preferable to reduce the amount of this component in the final product.